


House on Fire

by Eles



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:48:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4588398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eles/pseuds/Eles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt is stood up on a date and refuses to pass up an offer of free food.</p>
            </blockquote>





	House on Fire

Matt heard every word the other diners said about him, and he hated every single one.

Matt waited twenty minutes for his date to arrive. His server came around to ask what he wanted to drink, then if he was ready to order, and then if he was okay. Matt waved off her concerns. He didn't order. He was waiting for his date to arrive, and he didn't want to look like he'd given up on them when they did finally get here.

The server came around again and asked if he wanted to order yet. He didn't.

The whispering started up again. The husband and wife pair in the booth snuck glances at him. He heard their murmured _Thank God I found you_ and _I'd hate to be in that position ever again_ with perfect clarity. The old women in the corner were enraged on his behalf. _What kind of a person would refuse to show on a date, let alone a date with a blind man, the poor thing_. A little boy, who smelled like he'd been swimming in ketchup and sugar, asked his parents what was wrong with the man sitting alone.

Matt's hope died right then and there.

He grabbed his cane and dug through his pockets for his wallet so his server could at least get a decent tip before he left. He'd waited half an hour. His date was never going to show. He was an idiot for waiting this long to begin with.

He heard the sound of footsteps moving fast through the restaurant, and his heart skipped a beat despite himself. It wasn't his date, different cologne, different soap, smelled more like a butcher shop than anything else. He shook his head and went back to fishing through his wallet.

The footsteps stopped right in front of his table.

Matt lifted his head just as a man dropped into the seat across from him.

Just as Matt was about to tell the man he'd made a mistake, the stranger cut him off. He said, loud enough that Matt was convinced half the restaurant heard, "Sorry I'm so late, babe. You wouldn't believe what happened on my way here."

Sighs of relief went around the restaurant.

The man leaned in across the table and whispered, "Hi. I'm Foggy, just go with it? Whoever didn't bother to show up is a giant dick."

Matt immediately shook his head. He put down his tip for the server, ten bucks, and said, "No, it's okay. I was just leaving."

"Can I at least buy you dinner?" Foggy asked, pushing the ten towards Matt. "Please? You look like you're having a pretty rough day."

Matt scowled. "I don't need charity. I'm fine."

He put the bill back in the center of the table.

Foggy pushed the bill towards Matt again. "I know, I know. I just want to do something nice for you. You don't deserve to have some dick ruin your night. You seem like a pretty good guy, a really nice, good-looking guy."

Matt considered whether it'd be better to walk away, or punch the man. Foggy saved him the trouble. "I mean, I didn't come over just to hit on you. I didn't mean to hit on you at all. I just really want to help you out. So play along? I'll pay, so it's free food, and you don't have to deal with everyone staring at you anymore."

Matt listened. The man was telling the truth. He didn't seem like that bad of a guy. He _was_ doing Matt a favor here, and with his student debts he had to save every penny he had. Free food was an offer he couldn't refuse. It helped that Foggy's voice wasn't too bad either.

Matt nodded, just as the server came back around.

The server asked for their orders. Foggy jumped and reached for the menu laying in front of Matt. He looked down at it in utter confusion.

"A burger, please." Matt said, and reached to take the menu back. He tapped at the bumps on it. "It's in braille. Sorry about that."

Foggy waved off the server's offer to get him a different menu. "Don't worry about it. I'll have what he's having."

Foggy relaxed back into his seat once the server left. They sat in awkward silence, fiddling with the silverware, until Foggy asked, "So, you're blind?"

"That's what they tell me. No light perception." Matt lifted his cane up for Foggy to see.

"Oh!" Foggy's heart rate jumped as he attempted to backtrack. "Sorry about that."

Matt shook his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "No, it's alright. It's kinda nice that you didn't come over because I'm blind. People treat me like I'm made out of glass."

Foggy scratched the back of his neck and laughed. "I guess everyone staring didn't bother you then. You know, you've got some pretty cool glasses."

They got along like a house on fire. They spent the rest of the meal laughing and grinning at each other like old friends.

When Foggy asked who Matt's date was supposed to be, Matt shrugged it off. "It's nothing serious. Just a date with some guy in one of my classes."

"Well, hey, I'll punch him for you if you like," Foggy said. "You're a really great guy, Matt. Who wouldn't want to go out with a guy like you?"

Matt laughed. "That guy apparently. But no punching, alright? I have to spend the rest of the semester with that guy."

"Yeah. Well at least you're not rooming with him. So where are you going?"

"Columbia. I want to be a lawyer. Help out the little guys, you know?"

"Me too! You know, I thought there was something familiar about you. We've probably been sitting in class with each other this whole time."

From there they discovered that not only were they both from Hell's Kitchen, staying in the same dorm, and attending the same classes, they'd been walking past each other everyday without ever saying hello to each other.

"To be fair," Foggy said over his burger. "I've got a job on top of all of this. I work at a butcher's shop part-time. Free ham."

"That would explain the smell." Matt smiled.

Foggy leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Hey, you try getting it out. I'm telling you, it's impossible." 

When they'd both polished off the last of their food, Matt was sad to see it end.

He absolutely didn't say a word about it. Especially not when Foggy offered to lead him out the restaurant with perfect ease.

They walked out together, arm in arm with Matt's cane swinging out in front of them. They stopped at the corner and pulled themselves apart. Matt hit the button to call for the walk signal.

"This is goodbye then," Foggy said.

Matt nodded. "This is it. Thanks for helping me out back there. It was really great to meet you."

"Hey, you, too. I'm just happy I could help you out."

They stood in silence beside each other while Matt waited for the signal. When it finally came, Matt stepped out onto the crosswalk. "Bye. I'll see you around?"

"Yeah. See ya."

Matt headed across the street, and Foggy went down the sidewalk. Matt turned back for just a moment when he reached the other side.

Foggy was running back to the corner and rushing onto the crosswalk. "Hey! I never caught your name!"

Matt caught Foggy's arm as he made it across. "I'm Matt. Matt Murdock."

Matt could practically hear the grin in Foggy's voice. "Well, Matt Murdock, listen to this. You want to go on a date with me? Like, an actual date. Not whatever this was.

Matt nodded and grinned back. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to."


End file.
